TESS Observatory undergoing thermal vacuum testing

The integration of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite is complete. The satellite is now a fully functioning observatory and it is undergoing final testing in preparation for its launch in March 2018. Shown here is the integrated spacecraft; the four wide-field cameras, built at MIT, are visible at the top. TESS is inside a thermal vacuum chamber at Orbital ATK where it will be tested for the next month before it is shipped to the launch site at Cape Canaveral in February.